Soaring high above the mountains from Europe to China and to Africa, the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) commands attention at any lunch party. The bearded vulture is one of the largest birds of prey, yet it eats mostly bone marrow. It is also the only bird known to decorate itself.Adult bearded vultures sport a coat of snow-white feathers on their necks, shoulders and chests. On this white feathery canvas, the vultures paint a shade of rusty red by bathing in soils or water rich in red iron oxide deposits.For years, scientists questioned the origins of the vultures’ red paint. Field studies, including an intensive three-year radio-tracking study, failed to uncover the origins of the red colouration. Researchers suggested that the red stains might have been caused by the birds randomly resting near iron deposits. Yet the colouring seemed intentional, as captive birds that were given access to damp red soil quickly pounced on it, dusting their bellies and necks red like their wild kin. The birds would use the beak and talons to spread the red mud from their chest to their shoulders and upper back.Bearded vultures clearly like to put on a shade of red.Finally, in 1995 and then 1998, wild bearded vultures were seen bathing in pools thick with iron deposits in the French
